Shingles is what disease?

Written by Xie Ming Feng
Dermatology
Updated on September 05, 2024
00:00
00:00

Shingles is primarily caused by the varicella-zoster virus, which enters the human bloodstream through the respiratory tract mucosa, leading to chickenpox or a latent infection. The virus then lies dormant in the nerve ganglia of the body. Certain triggers, such as trauma, fatigue, weakness after illness, malignant tumors, or the use of immunosuppressants, can decrease the body's resistance and activate the dormant virus, resulting in shingles.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Xie Ming Feng
Dermatology
30sec home-news-image

herpes zoster symptoms

The symptoms of herpes zoster primarily manifest as irregular erythema on certain parts of the body's skin, followed by clusters of rice-grain or mung bean-sized raised vesicular rash, blisters, and blood blisters. These rashes generally appear on one side of the body, not crossing the body's midline, and are accompanied by local sensations of burning, scalding pain, stabbing pain, numbness, itching, and other abnormal neural sensations.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhu Zhu
Dermatology
1min 3sec home-news-image

Can you have sexual intercourse with herpes zoster?

Firstly, it is advised not to have sexual intercourse during an episode of shingles to avoid cross-infection and aid recovery. Humans are the only hosts for the varicella-zoster virus, which can enter the body through respiratory and oral tracts, genital mucosa, saliva, and skin, and lies dormant in human mucosa, blood, saliva, spinal cord, posterior nerve roots, and sensory ganglia cells. People with acute shingles need to seek prompt medical diagnosis to avoid missing the optimal treatment window and delaying the condition. The treatment principles mainly include antiviral therapy, infection control, pain relief, and aiding scab formation. Typically, proper recovery from shingles is expected within seven to ten days in a standard hospital, and this helps in reducing the occurrence of postherpetic neuralgia.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhu Zhu
Dermatology
35sec home-news-image

Can people with shingles take a bath?

Whether you can bathe during shingles depends on the individual. If it is in the early stage of shingles, where only some blisters have formed and the skin has not broken, you can occasionally bathe. However, if the shingles are severe and have led to an infection with broken skin and bacterial infection, it is not advisable to bathe. In general, it is better to avoid bathing while suffering from shingles, as this can aid in the recovery of the condition. If you feel dirty, it is recommended to wipe yourself with a wet cloth.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhu Zhu
Dermatology
38sec home-news-image

How many days can herpes zoster be cured?

Herpes zoster is a viral infectious skin disease that is most prone to epidemic in the spring, primarily caused by the varicella-zoster virus. It generally lies dormant in the body causing a belt-like cluster of herpes zoster to appear along the dermatome, accompanied by neuralgia. The course of herpes zoster generally lasts three to four weeks, and it usually does not recur after recovery. The main principles of treatment are antiviral, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, to shorten the duration of the disease, and to prevent secondary infections.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhu Zhu
Dermatology
32sec home-news-image

Does shingles itch?

Shingles most often leads to the formation of long blisters or herpes, accompanied by significant pain, which is the experience of most patients. However, a minority of people may not feel significant pain but instead experience itching. This is also a manifestation of the inflammation caused by shingles. Therefore, some patients with shingles feel itchy. Both itching and pain require timely antiviral treatment, along with medication that nourishes the nerves.